God's help in our weakness

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:8–9)

At some point before I stand up on a Sunday morning to preach a sermon, I become overwhelmed by the impossibility of the task. It’s not that I don’t know how to speak in public by now, but rather that the ultimate goal of the sermon – to lead people into the presence of God so that they might be transformed by Him into the image of Christ and respond in worship and discipleship – is impossible for me to accomplish apart from the intervention of God. However, there is hope in my time of trouble. Over the years, I have found that there are three Biblical passages that reliably encourage me when I find myself in that state of mind, which may be of help to you as well in your attempts to serve God.

The first passage is from John 6:1-13. After Jesus has taught a very large crowd, He asks His disciples where they should buy bread for the gathered people to eat. Philip responds that they don’t have nearly enough money to provide food for everyone. Andrew, however, brings to Jesus a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish. Jesus takes the boy’s offering, gives thanks, and miraculously turns this small lunch into an endless buffet, with twelve to-go baskets of leftovers.

I find this passage to be an apt metaphor for our service to God. I am painfully aware that I do not have what it takes to spiritually feed all who have gathered on a Sunday. But I also trust that God has not called me to do His job, but simply to be faithful to Him and to present to Him what I have brought, asking Him to take my offering and multiply it to feed all who have gathered.

The second passage is from Isaiah 55:9-11, where God promises that just as the rain and snow water the earth, “making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” This promise encourages me that if I focus on proclaiming what God’s Word says over my own opinions, then His Word will accomplish its purpose and bear fruit in those who are listening.

third passage is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, where Paul encourages us with these words: “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” There is comfort in knowing that as we recognize our weakness, we are opening ourselves up to His strength to accomplish that which we can not do in our own power.

In 20 years of preaching, God has always been faithful to meet me in my weakness and trembling and to work on my behalf for His glory. Be encouraged that no matter how He has called you to serve Him, if you will faithfully offer to Him what you have, He is more than capable to take care of the rest.